Question 1

does a normal ct scan exclude pancreatic cancer?

Accepted Answer

Endoscopic US: Has the highest sensitivity for detecting pancreatic masses. However, it's invasive and not readily available in some areas. There are specific ways to image the pancreas with ct that improve the test.

Question 2

what can be some causes of dull to sharp pains throughout the head? had a normal ct scan.

Accepted Answer

Many possibilities: There are too many reasons for headaches to list here. Common causes based on your profile include 1) Chronic sinusitis, caused by allergies, intolerance to dairy and gluten, and smoking
2) excessive use of pain relievers, which can cause rebound daily headaches if taken regularly.

Question 3

what is the difference between a ct and a cta scan ? ive recently had a cta and the report says images where taking without and then with contrast. does this mean i had a normal ct scan imaging first and than images with contrast after ?

Accepted Answer

: CTA is a study of blood vessel integrity.  A CT looks at skeletal and soft issue areas, and only indirect observations of vasculature.  Have no clue regarding your sequencing, but you are encouraged to contact radiologist and discuss at length.

Question 4

what are the features of pleural mesothelioma on chest ct scan? how does pleural mesothelioma look like on chest ct scan?

Accepted Answer

Variable: Usually there will be fluid surrounding the lung with lumpy masses that encircle the lung (usually one side lung or even around the heart).

Question 5

can cortical venous thrombosis be detected in a normal ct scan?

Accepted Answer

No : Cta with ctv best test. Mri can show it also.

Question 6

would a stress test be of any value after one has had a normal ct scan? i have sle and have been having pains and sob

Accepted Answer

Yes: Patients with lupus are at elevates riak of vascular disease, including corornary artery disease.  A stress test is quite reasonable if you are having shortness of breath, as is an echocardiogram.

Question 7

have had slightly elevated lipase levels twice over past 8 months (80 and then 61 - reference range to 60). drink very rarely. never had acute pancreatitis. have recently had a normal ct scan. what would cause these abnormal levels?

Accepted Answer

Don't know.: Could be a virus or lab error.

Question 8

will a normal ct scan show unruptured aneurysms i had bad headaches yesterday and went to the er and had a cat scan done. i want to know if ct scan can detect unruptured aneurysms without dye.

Accepted Answer

I : I can't make any comment about your headache or its causes, but can try to help with your question "will a normal ct scan show unruptured aneurysms?"

a ct (or computerized tomography) scan is a study that uses x-rays and incredibly complicated calculations to make virtual slices of the brain or other body parts.  The slices look like grainy black and white photographs (which aren't really just black and white, but many shades of gray). Like in regular x-ray images, the degree of brightness of a tissue has to do with how well it blocks the x-rays.  Bones are bright white, while lungs (which are mostly air) are darker.   It turns out that quickly-moving blood (like the blood that is traveling in the major arteries that feed the brain) is pretty dark compared to the surrounding skull (white) and brain tissue (shades of gray).  Blood that isn't moving any more, most often because it has leaked out of the blood vessels, is usually as bright or brighter than the nearby brain tissue.  The difference is usually pretty noticeable to trained eyes, and that's why a plain ct scan is very useful in medical emergencies when it is important to quickly and reliably detect blood that has left the blood vessels (a hemorrhage).

There are several types of hemorrhages that can occur in or around the brain.  One type, bleeding next to the surface of the brain, called a subarachnoid hemorrhage, can be caused by blood leaking from a weakened section of blood vessel, often from what is called a ruptured aneurysm.  Subarachnoid hemorrhage accounts for 10% or less of all patients who come to the emergency room and report a "worst headache ever."  by comparison, the consequences of subarachnoid hemorrhage are serious:  up to 50% of patients die.  So, doctors want to accurately detect every case of subarachnoid hemorrhage they can.

It turns out that a plain ct scan, without contrast, on a modern ct scanner can detect 97% or more of all subarachnoid hemorrhages if done within the first 12 hours of onset.  Additional tests, such as a spinal tap (also known as a lumbar puncture), can boost that number even more.

It is important not to get confused about one fact: all this testing is looking for leaked blood.  Leaked blood is considered to be pretty good circumstantial evidence of an aneurysm (or other blood vessel abnormality), but it is not absolute proof.

To actually see an aneurysm (ruptured or unruptured... Or other blood vessel abnormality) requires different tests.  These tests involve taking pictures of the blood vessels themselves.  The absolute best way to do this is by a surgical procedure called angiography or arteriography, in which the doctor inserts a long tube into an artery near your groin or shoulder, and threads it up to the arteries that feed your brain.  Dye is injected from the tube into the artery, and digitized x-ray video pictures are taken as the dye passes through the artery.  Nonsurgical alternatives include angiograms done on a ct scanner or MRI scanner.  These also use dye.

Not all of these tests are available everywhere.  Most hospitals have a ct scanner, but not all have ct scanners that can do angiograms.  Even fewer hospitals have an MRI scanner, and only major hospitals have doctors who do surgical angiograms.

All of these tests involve risk, which can sometimes be substantial.  Plain ct scans without dye pack a lot of radiation.  Ct scans with dye and ct angiograms pack even more radiation, and then there is the risk of the dye itself. The key is to weigh the risk of missing an aneurysm against the risk of doing "just one more" test to find it.

Question 9

frequent headaches, neck pain and dizziness had a normal ct scan a few months ago. worried about aneurysms. should my headaches be further looked into?

Accepted Answer

? something else: If you have a negative ct scan, and still have headaches and neck pain i would suggest you  to look for other causes. Migraine headache is one of the other common conditions. If you don't have a family history of aneurysm and work up is negative, may be normal variant of headaches  but if you have a family history and symptoms persist, you  may need an MRI of brain.

Question 10

had a normal ct scan of brain.what could be causing random really fast uncontrollable eye movements ? they move left and right really fast then stop.

Accepted Answer

Need MRI : There are a number of possibilities. You need an MRI now as the ct did not id the prob.

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Doctor answers about:

What does a normal ct scan look like

A member asked:

Does a normal ct scan exclude pancreatic cancer?

A member asked:

What can be some causes of dull to sharp pains throughout the head? had a normal ct scan.

A member asked:

What is the difference between a ct and a cta scan ? ive recently had a cta and the report says images where taking without and then with contrast. does this mean i had a normal ct scan imaging first and than images with contrast after ?

A member asked:

What are the features of pleural mesothelioma on chest ct scan? how does pleural mesothelioma look like on chest ct scan?

A member asked:

Can cortical venous thrombosis be detected in a normal ct scan?

A member asked:

Would a stress test be of any value after one has had a normal ct scan? i have sle and have been having pains and sob

A member asked:

Have had slightly elevated lipase levels twice over past 8 months (80 and then 61 - reference range to 60). drink very rarely. never had acute pancreatitis. have recently had a normal ct scan. what would cause these abnormal levels?

A member asked:

Will a normal ct scan show unruptured aneurysms i had bad headaches yesterday and went to the er and had a cat scan done. i want to know if ct scan can detect unruptured aneurysms without dye.

A member asked:

Frequent headaches, neck pain and dizziness had a normal ct scan a few months ago. worried about aneurysms. should my headaches be further looked into?

A member asked:

Had a normal ct scan of brain.what could be causing random really fast uncontrollable eye movements ? they move left and right really fast then stop.

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